A Tad Bookish
by Verboten Byacolate
Summary: Why did you have to leave so soon? Why did you have to walk away? Oh well, it happened again. She walked away with her boyfriend. Maybe we'll meet again someday. [SasoSaku][AU] 1st prize fic for Nymbis!


_A/N_; This is the first-prize fic for the uber-spectacular _**Nymbis**_ who won the NejiTen contest _**IrisEclipsed**_ and I hosted. You should check out her wonderful work of art, _Putting Baby in the Corner_. She requested a SasoSaku with some wonderful PeinKon on the side, and I was finally able to muster some inspiration. Sorry it took so long, and I reeeally hope you aren't opposed to AUs; they seem to be all I can do anymore -.-u

_Disclaimer_; I do not own Naruto, and am recieving no profit from this fanfiction (it's payment enough to hear that people enjoy my work ;)

**A Tad Bookish**

_Chapter 1- Librarian's Trump_

She rubbed her hands deftly against her denim-clad thighs, scanning the page with uninterest. "Why," she started irritably, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear, "do we have to study for crap we already know?" She recieved no response from her partners, so she continued. "I mean, geez! This is our... what... fourth year in Algebra? Don't they know we alreay GET this??" Sighing, she turned the page. "Reviewing this stuff bores the hell out of me," she grumbled. The figures around her remained silent.

Each page only infuriated her more, and by the third flip of paper, she swept it into her bag frustratedly. "This is a waste of time," came her irked voice, and she stood up. "Sorry guys," she apologized half-heartedly, slipping the bag's strap over her head and resting it on her shoulder. "I'm gonna go check out the manga section, okay?"

"Your loss, hag," replied Sai tonelessly, jotting down a few notes on his thick notebook that he kept for doodling in class (no wonder he was cramming so much).

"Hn," Sasuke hummed, collecting his own notes into his arms and standing as well. "You're right, unfortunately," he deadpanned, giving her a blank stare and grabbing his own bag. "I'll go with you."

"No making out between the manga shelves!" Naruto said, looking up from his textbook with a grin. "That weird Senior gang always hangs out over there. Who knows what they'll do to a vulnerable couple like you two."

Sasuke snorted and Sakura scowled, but other than that they ignored him. They all knew that after Sasuke had come back from his little "run away from home phase", he and Sakura's relationship had been all the more close; they were, after all, childhood friends. But even so, they weren't really _dating_. Sure, he'd give all of her real dates this odd, touch-her-and-face-my-wrath glare, and he'd occasionally make real live physical contact with her, but other than that... nothing. Sakura sighed. _Such is my life... no certainty_, she thought, inwardly sobbing.

They rounded a few corners in silence, the cheery lights of the library's lamps reflected against the cherry oak shelves, floor, and tables giving the whole place a comfortable, warm feel; one that Sakura reveled in every time she came to this haven. One that was struck cold by the sight in front of the manga shelves, one that Naruto warned them of; the delinquent gang of Seniors, and (what seemed like to Sakura) college students that had been together since her Junior High time. They were the outcasts of their town's many schools, ones that had grouped together in their free time at the very library where Sakura spent almost all of her free-time. Their symbol was a red cloud; three were sewn onto various parts of their black jackets. Everyone in the city knew their name, as they were quite infamous for their countless wrong-doings: the Akatsuki.

In short, each of them were freaks that weren't even worth Sakura's breath.

She hated to even be near them, but there was simply no other way if she wanted to reach the maga racks on the opposite side of them. So she tread on silent feet, practically tip-toeing around the chair of the group's only female member. She thought herself to be safe until _it_ happened. You know; the _it_ that you should have expected, but didn't because you thought you might be luckier than that, silly fool. The inevitable _it_ that made her cringe when she hear the small _crunch_ under her foot. Pausing, she lifted it slightly to find a smooshed paper crane underneath. A moment of silence passed, and she felt a bazillion eyeballs pointed in her direction.

"Shit," she whispered, somehow finding the courage to look up. The girl in the chair in front of her was twisted at the waist in her chair, staring down at the ruined piece of origami. "Uh... er..." Sakura gulped, flinching when heavily lidded, icy blue eyes drifted to hers. She didn't dare look at any of the men. "I... so..."

Unable to stand it a second longer, she dove into the nearest book shelf. Sakura breathed heavily, inwardly chanting fervently _out of sight, out of mind, out of sight, out of mind_...

"Are you alright?"

Sakura jumped, clutching to the shelf for support. She thought her legs would surely give out of fright. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief. Standing before her, guardian angel of all that she saught, was the assistant librarian. He peered at her over thin rectangular spectacles, propping an armful of literary novels on one hip. She smiled weakly.

"Yeah. Thanks."

He had gorgeous, almost to the point of unrealistic red hair and fantastic ruby-brown colored eyes that instantly made her think _contacts_. But who wore contacts with glasses? Really though, the question was _who cared_? His features were boyish, and at the same time they were almost feminine. He was, she had to admit, beautiful. So much so that she felt a blush spread across her cheeks. Geez, _why_ at a time like this?! And, GAH! Why was he getting closer!?

He pressed his hand against her cheek and she could barely breathe.

"You're very red," he said softly, resting his forehead against hers. "And hot." _I just got hotter, thank you_, she thought weakly, feeling her legs go weak once more. "Are you here with someone?" She couldn't move or respond; all she was able to do was stare wildly into his deep red eyes. "... No?" he continued. "Would you like me to help you call someone to pick you up? You don't look too good."

"I... n-no..." she squeaked, shuddering lightly when he pulled away. The break in contact made her feel oddly cold. "I'm fine, r-really..." she said, placing a hand on her chest in hopes of measuring the erratic beating of her heart. He blinked at her, head tilted lightly to the side, making his shaggy red hair fall adorably over his cheeks.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-ye--"

"Sakura?"

Both heads swiveled to the other end of the shelf. Sasuke leaned lightly against its edge, eyebrow cocked. "What's up?"

"Ah," the assistant librarian said, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "You must be her ride?"

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, lying through his teeth. They both knew that Sakura was actually _his_ ride home.

"Good; she has a temperature," he said back, glancing her way once more. Her face immediately flushed once more at his eye's touch.

"No, I-I'm just... anxious!" she said shrilly, hand to her heart. "Yeah! For the upcoming exams!"

Sasuke coughed at the outright lie.

"So, I'm fine, really," she said, avoiding the older man's eyes.

"Oh. Good!" He didn't _really_ smile, but she could tell that his words were honest. "Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Yes," she replied, nodding feverishly and making her way to Sasuke. She had to use the shelves as support when she reached her friend, and when she turned the redhead was engrossed in arranging the books on the shelves.

Sasuke's look was disapproving, to say the least. "You okay?" he asked brusquely, steering her carefully into their chosen section of library; one shelf over. She nodded.

"Yeah. Just don't let me go out alone, okay? I think I might have offended the Akatsuki."

"Hn," he said back, peeking secretly through the helves to the gang's table. Two were looking in their direction; one had a ski cap on his head and his collar was so high that all he could see was dark skin, piercing green eyes, and a bit of black hair. The other had silver hair, odd lilac-colored eyes, and a small sneer. Sasuke glared back. Sakura was blissfully unaware, absorbing herself in a new volume of _Dragon Head_.

"Horror again?" he asked, grabbing three random action novels and tucking them under his arm. Sakura grunted noncommitally in reply. She was gone.

And, looking through the bookshelf, so was the assistant librarian.

- 0 -

"Geez, Sasori," Hidan said, smirking. "You're such a flirt."

The red haired man ignored his friend, pushing the cart farther along the row of books, closer to the Akatsuki.

"What was with that face, hmm?" chuckled the only blonde of the bunch, leaning back in his chair and letting the headphones he'd been so engrossed in listening to drop around his neck.

"What are you talking about?" Sasori droned, shelving three books at a time. Hidan took the liberty of answering.

"That chick stepped on Konan's bird thing, and she looked like she'd just set off a nuclear bomb!" He laughed. "Her expression was fucking priceless."

"You are such an asshole," the dark-skinned man said coarsely, letting a page in his book flip over. Hidan scowled.

"Fuck you, Kakuzu."

"We're in a library, you know," came a feminine voice. Konan refrained from rolling her eyes. "Use your crude language somewhere else, please."

Hidan pouted but remained silent. He knew that if he argued with the girl, he'd have their leader to answer to. (Damn prick...)

"That girl looked really scared," chirped a voice from Deidara's side. The blond man nodded at the tall boy wearing an orange mask (for fun, apparently).

"Are we really that frightening?" he asked.

"That's definitely the image we convey," came a low voice across the table from Tobi. The man it belonged to had multicolored skin: white on the left, black on the right. Deidara rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, that's you and Fishy over there," he replied, inclining his head at the tall, blue-skinned man who sat beside the broodish-looking lad.

"I know that girl," he said quietly, seemingly delicate pale hands turning a page in a novel. Kisame glanced down.

"Really?"

"She's Sasuke's friend," he replied with the same tone. Kisame nodded.

"Your little brother, right?"

Itachi smirked slightly. "My foolish little brother, yes."

Hidan leaned forward on his elbows, staring at the table space in front of Konan. "She didn't have to look so horrified," he grumbled. "Blue's got about three dozen birds stashed away where no one else can see, I bet. One makes no difference."

"True," replied she, not looking up from her new creation. "But our reputation is not one of which upstanding citizens should hold."

"Well, Sasori's taking care of THAT, now, isn't he?" the silver-haired man quipped, glancing at his hard-working companion.

"Just because _you_ don't do anything doesn't mean _he_ can't."

"Stuff it, Kakuzu you freakshow!"

"SHH!!" came the simultanious voices of random library-goers. Sasori smirked.

"Upstanding citizen, eh?"

_- __Why did you have to leave so soon?  
Why did you have to walk away?  
Oh well it happened again  
She walked away with her boyfriend  
Maybe we'll meet again someday. -_

_**- TBC -**_

**A bookish Sasori is just a sexy image to me. XD**

**Lyrics: At the Library, by Green Day. Those this chapter was sooo much fun to write, and the plot was fun to form, I honestly have no idea where this is giong. Help...?**

**-Bya**


End file.
